Hydraulic gate



Aug. 28, 1928.

1,682,206 L. K. WHITCOMB, JR., -AL

' HYDRAULIC GATE I Filed Jan. 20, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet l VFR? ME Q y L. K. WHITCOMB, JR., ET Al.

HYDRAULIC GATE Aug. 28, 1928. 1,682,206V

ffilegah. 29,',1926 SSheets-Sh'eot 2 wg J/ L57 i L52 fjy Y Patented Aug. 28, 1928.

,unirso?`s-iiiTia-s# PATENT oisieicii.4 l

LOUISy I. N-IHITCQMB,y JR., AND NICHOLAS VANDERKIEFT, OF CHICAGO', IITJLIBFOIS.v

. c HYfnmiuLIc GATE.

A-p'pl'eationv filed January 20, 151216. Sferial No. 82,475.` i

This invention relates to hydraulic gates,

a type of valve which may bev used'to advantage in controllin'gvthe'iiow ofl water from reservoirs of. variousV kinds, such',y for example, as penstocks leading to water wheels in power installations.

The vertical movement-s ofa hydraulic gate requirel the application of' considerable power' tov overcome the friction between the gatev and its seal di e to the ui'i'balaii'ced water pressure on the gate. To reduce as muchv as possible the friction thus occurring between the gate',

and its seal, it is here proposedtoemploy means which develop unlimited capacity through' the application of a force to the gatel mechanism, not greater, than the weight of the gate, for eifectinguiisealing'thereof; andk also to employ anti-friction means whereon to carry Vthe gate during certain lateral and vertical' movements, the sealing faces being in contact only when the; gate is closed. .The

' peiidability in operation, inadaptability for use with many types of hydraulic structures, non-portability, high initial cost and *ups reep, and inability to producel a seal which is atisfact-ory every respect lt risl ac` cordinn'ly an object of this invention to improve upon these particulars in a manner whereby' the operating mechanism may bel simplified, be adaptable to ordinary slidingy friction type gates,be.confinedI toa small various other respects also, as will fully hereH iortion of the. s ace within the Gate and re` mi quire for its effective movementftlie application of a force from somesourceof 'poweigp considera-bly less tliianheretofore used". In

" inafter appear, the present hydraulic gate is y distinctly advantageous.

An illustrative embodiment off this invention isset forth inthe accompanyiimr draw.-

ings inthe manner,- following Figure l which is a vertical section taken on line l-l of' Fig, 2, showsl in elevation the inner face ofthesealing'side4 of the present este; i. l 2 is a tranvesrse section tliroiiigh the gate, taken on line Q-slcf l;

Fig'. 3 is an enlarged detail of certain operating' parts adjacent one gate end, the View insection on linei7 -7 of `friction means; and

Fig.v 9 is a transverse on line 9 -9. y

A hydraulic' gate ofthe kind herein consectionv theretl'ir'ouglfi 'templated maybe vertically slidable within a channeled guideway' provided in a( wall. on

abutment A, to which are affixed' sealingl Vstrips l0 of bronze or other metal'non-coi"-v rcsive iii water. Adjacent'the strips may be placed rails l1 wheieonf certain wheels or: rollers travel when the gater is moved into or 'out of position. The illustrative' gaie structure comprisesen'd channel irons I5V cone nected at their tops and" bottoms and" intermediately by-cioss beams 16"`liaving`a suitable sectional form. A' plate l'covers the water side of theV gate sc as to prevent passage ofy liquid therethrough, and around the margins of the opposite gate side are sealing` strips 18 so disposed as to rest against lthe sealing strips 'i0 whereby to form therewith a watertight joint.

te` which located within the space of' its ownl width; may conveniently employ the lever anditopggle principle. As shown, it com;

, prises a vertical liftingl rod4 2O which yextends from abovetlietop of the gate through sevL eral of theci'oss beams thereof. To the upper end of the rod the force necessary tooperate the mechanism is'applied. Atits lower end is carried a head 2]. adjustably securedl thereon as by lock nuts 22, a stop plate 23 being associated with the! upper nut to engage with the under side` of the4 proximate cross beam whenthe liftingrodlis raised suHicient-- ly for' this purpose. A pair .ofv Vixedly mounted. guide rods 24- may pass through opposite' sides of the head whereby to steady its ie operating'mechanism for the present at Y vertical movements, adjustable stops 24 be ing` fastened to these rods whereby to limit the downward movement of the lifting rod 20.

At a peint of liiglierelevation upon the lifting rod is adjustably supported a collar 25 which affords a pivotal mounting` for an equaliring,` toggle head which may consist ot' a pair of companion bars 26 between the opposite endsV of which are pivoted socket members 27 within each ot which is adjustably received a tension rod 28 secured tast with the aid oi a lock nut 29. y rllhe opposite end of each tension rod is'similarly connected to asecond socket member 3Q with which may be associated a lock nut 3l. The screw Vthreads at the oppositeends of the tension disposed within aslot 36 formed in a vertical connecting,` bar 37 et which one is located ad- ]acent each end ot the gate. At its upper and lower ends each bar 37 makes pivotal connection, as at 88, with a lever 39 which is i fulci'umed at one end upon a pin l0 which eX- tends between the gate end and a strut lll.

, As the horizontal projection of the distance between each connecting bar and tulcrum points l0 varies with movements of the for` l mer inresponse to actuation o'tthe bell cranks,

theaxes of the latter are preferably inclined,

as shown, whereby their lateral arms 35 move in substantially conformity with the travel ot the connecting bars, sliding` friction be- ,tween these parts being obviated in this 'mannen l n A pivotal connection is made as at l2 be- Aween the opposite end of each lever and an equalizing truck.v the construction ot. which K' 4appears best in Figs. 8

and, 4. As shown, each truck may comprise a pair of companion truss plates et?) spaced apart, as by flanges for the purpose of assemblyv` and connected in unitary relation as by means ot bolts 45.

lEach end otthe two connectingr bars 37 may be forked whereby to straddle the trucks, the

pins 38 passing),r through slots therein to con nect with the `levers39 which are disposed between the two truss platesf Mounted in each truck is a pair ot wheels il@ one at each end thereof, and each rotatto the upper end oi" the rod 20.

mounting similar to that already described, but toi-med to provide a raceway around which may travel a plurality ot' grooved rollers i9 interconnected by linksO. As this is simply an alternative form of anti-'friction device tor producing similar results, further description thereof should not be necessary, it being understood, however, that the term wheel, as used hereinafter, is'intended to cover rollers as well.

'.lo raise the gate a 'lifting torce is applied The equalizing toggle head isthereby raised to rock both bell cranks and thereby elevate the two connecting bars37. The levers connected to each ot these bars are thereupon raised a slight distance, the center of these movements being' the lever fulcruins 40. The adjustment of the vertical connections may be such as to complete the lever movements before the truck pins 4t2 haver-cached the saine elevation as the fulcrum points 4() of the levers 39 whereby these levers remain in such av position that the-vertical component otl the unbalanced water pressure, as transmitted through the levers and actingl upon the pins 4t2, has a moment su'tlicient to overcome the lriction ot the mechanism and seal the grate when the torce applied to the lifting` rod E20 has been releaset. The stop plate 28, when brought into engagement with the associated cross beam, will arrest all further movements through the toggle and lever connections. Until the plate 23 engages the cross beam no vertical movement ot the ,gate takes place, but in response to a continuation of the lifting' force applied to the lifting red 20, after the plate 23 has engaged the adjacent cross beam, y

the gate moves i vertically as a unit. Through the movements'just described, be fore the stop plate 23 is engaged, the several wheels are simultaneously pressed against the rails, and the gate is thereby forced laterally from its seal. By first shittingv the gate troni its seal. the liftingr force thereafter required tor raisingl ofthe gate need only be equal. to the weight of the gate plus the sli ight force necessary to overcome the fric on in the wheels or rollers which are used.

The replacement of the gate follows a procedure just the reverse of that which has been described.v Until the gate has reached its' bottom position, the wheels prevent contact between the v,frate and its seal, thereby elimi- Y nating the slidingl friction between the gate and its seal. lVhen the bottom position has been reached, however, the forces working through the toggle and lever connections are 'relaxed to permit the trucks vto move downthan this, however, in that the gate combines in its structure an operating mechanism which utilizes to the greatest advantage the lifting kforce which isrequired. This part of our invention will now be touched upon.

It is to be noted' that vwe employ a balanced construction for several of the operating coniponents'. From the toggle head 26 ancqua'l ized force is transmitted to theseveral trucks i each of which is balanced'upon' its associated lever 39. The tension produced in the rods28 through lift ofthe toggle liead26 is converted to a lvertical force in the connecting rods 37 .at the point-s of their engagement with the bell cranks. The equal and opposite reaction of this vertical force is thrown into the gate at/the fulcrum-points 84 of the ybell cranks 33. This reaction being opposite to the force imparted by the bell cranksto the connecting bars, it tends to push down on the gate, and

together witht-he weight ofthe gate (minus the vertical component of the foi-ce inthe tension arms 28) prevents the gate froml lift-v V ing until the stop plate 23 strikes against the associated cross beam. A v, I The vert-icalforces in the connecting bars 37 cause the levers 39 to rock upon their ful? lcrums 40. Each lever is disposed atan angle less than degrees relative to the vertical,

so that rotation of the bell cranks sets up a.

compi'essionin the levers which causes pressures to be exerted at the points 42 upon the several trucks. The force" at these points is equally distributed-to the wheels which press against immovable o'uidc rails. r,thereforethe lever fulcruins which are fastenedzto the gate, are forced back from the rails and counter to the waterpressure.l The entire gate lis thus shifted Afrom the rails so as to break tlie'seal and transfer equally to the wheels the horizontal force due to pressure of water against the gate. As previously stated, all this motion takes placeV before the kgate begins to rise. rlhe actual lift of the gate takes place only after the stop plate 23 engages'withthe cross beam'in response to continued upward movement of the rodV 2O;y and when thezgate does commence to rise, the entire horizontal vwater pressure is sustained by the wheels 46;

Due to the fact that the bell cranks, or other devices for gaining mechanical advantage and changing the direction of the vertical .lift-ing force, are fulcrumed on the gate, and

that at the fulcrum point-s 34 the reaction of the lifting force on the connecting rods 37 is equal and opposite, anincreased downward force equal to the lifting force is added to the weight of the gate` All this tends to aid in On'a'ccount of suchfeatures as these; it.is possible to adapt the present. gate.' advan` tageously to different conditions of use fy We claim: ,t l

l. En ycombiinition with'a/seat, a sliding. gatevvalve, a balanced mounting'carried. on the gate, means for shiftingsaidl mounting laterally of the gate, and anti-friction devices support-ed by said inountingadapted to bear against the. seat, *substantially as described. l v y v Y 2. A1 hydraulic gate `.with whicln is asscelatedl means for-'forming a vseal against a wall, means bearing against the wall having a balanced mounting on the. gate, and,- equal'- ized tension means working through lever and ktoggleA .connections forl shifting' said mount-ing laterally of the gate whereby to press against'tlie wall, substantially ais-l described. a 1

3. In a hydraulic gate,the combination ofr a'vertically ymovable lifting` rod, vadjustable stop means whereby the rangeof rod movement may be controlled, a balanc'editoggle head supported on the rod, tension rods cX- vtended oppositely from the toggle head, a.

bell crank to which each tension rod is connected, and means operatedbyeach bell ci'ank and bearing against the wall for shifting'the `gate therefrom counter to an opposingwater ywall adapted tof exert a horizontal force against the gate whereby the position ofthe gate may be varied with respect to the wall, substantially' as described?A Tof.

' 5A lan a hydraulic gate, the combination of' f a pair .ofi wheels at each end thereof, a'sepa-v rate mounting for each lpair of wheels, a. common rod` connecting tlie two i mountings at eachend ofthe ygat-e in aimannerwhereby the inountings are balanced thereupon, lever andl toggle connections extending from said connecting rod, and a lift-ing rod joined to said toggle connections whereby to convert a vertical force into ahorizontal force acting upon all the wheel niount-ings, substantially as` described. Y

t3.. ln a hydraulic gate, the combination with a balanced mounting ofa` pair of wheels adaptedto bear with an equalized pressure againstan immovable support, a vertically movable lifting rod, and connections from the rod to the wheelr mountings such that thel lat-ter is moved in response to actuation of the former, whereby a horizontal force is directed against the gate to shift the saine from the support, substantially as described.

The combination with a sliding'gate lvalve having plural sets of wheels at each end thereof, on which it travels, of balancedV mountmgs, one for each set of wheels, and

means, including anV equalizing device, inter connecting all of said wheel mountings in a manner whereby to shift the valve laterally thereoli, the position of the gate with respect to its seat being thereby varied, substantially as described.

8. in combination with seat, a Vsliding gate valve, means including toggle and lever connections for unseating the gateincluding means'whereby to change the mechanical ad vantage of said connect-ions in accordance with the force required for unsealing the gate under differentl operatingheads, substantial ly as described.

9. In combination with a seat, a sliding' gate valve having at the ends thereot wheels which bear upon the seat, balanced mountings for the wheels, a toggle and lever mechanism adapted to shift the valve laterally with respect to the wheel mountings whereby to vary. the position of the valve with respect to its seat, said mechanism including means wher by to change the mechanical advantage oi said mechanism in accordance with the torce required for unseating the gate under diti'erent operating heads, substantially as described.

l0. ln combination with a sea-t, a sliding gate valve, plural balanced means hearing on the seat and movably carried by the gate, and operating mechanism therefor including a vert-ical lift rod and levers connected there- 'with so disposed as to transmit to the sev operate the latter whereby the gate is shifted toward or from the seat, substantially as described.

n l2. A gat-e with which is associated means for. forming a seal against a wall, a pair of balanced mountings movable laterally of the gate, anti-friction means carried in each mounting, means connecting the two mountings, and a toggle mechanism linked to said connecting mea-ns and adapted to transmit therethrough a force which moves the balanced mountings laterally of the gate, substantially as described.

'13. The combination with a sliding gate valve having a seat, ot wheels at the valve ends bearing against an 'immovable support, balanced mountings liorA the wheels, and means to shift the valve laterally with respect to the wheel mountings whereby the wheels exert an equalized pressure on the support to vary the position ot the valve i th respectto its seat, substantially as described.. f l

le. lllhe combination with a sliding gate valve having a plurality of wheels at each end thereof, on which it travels, of balanced mountings for the wheels at each gate end,

`and means exerting throughthe inountings an equalized force adapted to shift the gate laterally with respect to its seat, substantially as described.

l5. The combination with a sliding gate valve havingfwheels at the ends thereof, on which it travels, of balanced mountings for the wheels, and means exerting through the mountings an equalized torce adapted to shit't the gate laterally with respect to its seat, substantially as described. Y

16. In combination with a seat, a sliding gate valve, means carried by the valve for bearing against the seat, and operating mechanism includinga lever device connected with said means adapted to exert uponfthe lever device an upward torce while exerting upon the gate a downward torce which opposes initial lifting movement Vot the gate, substantially as described.

NICHOLAS vaunnnmnrr. Louis K. wnrrooMB, JR. 

